CAIRO, Jul 3 (Aswat Masriya) – Seven Egyptian umrah pilgrims have died, and 16 more were injured in a crash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.
Umrah is a type of pilgrimage that can be carried out by Muslims at any time of the year.
The crash took place as the pilgrims were returning from Mecca on the Ta’if-Riyadh highway, the ministry said in its statement, adding that five of the deceased were of the same family.
The Egyptian consular also stated that some of the deceased have not yet been identified. A team from the consulate has been charged with investigating the case, in terms of who holds responsibility and whether compensation will be paid.
A stampede in the Saudi tent city of Mina in Sept. 2015 left hundreds dead after pilgrims either suffocated or were trampled while performing Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
At least 180 Egyptians were killed in the stampede.
Saudi Arabia said a total of 769 people died in the incident, but the Associated Press said that the death toll is at least 1,453, according to its tally.
